Though this is not a comprehensive listing of all the books available, we hope it will get you started with books that can benefit you in your role as a dementia caregiver.  Share this list with family members and friends to support their learning.  (Note: Some of these titles overlap in terms of theme or category).

Education & Skills

• The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer’s Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss by Nancy L. Mace, MA and Peter V. Rabins, MD, MPH
• The Alzheimer’s Action Plan: What You Need to Know—and What You Can Do—about Memory Problems, From Prevention to Early Intervention and Care by P. Murali Doraiswamy, MD and Lisa P. Gwyther, MSW, et al.
• Contented Dementia by Oliver James
• The DICE Approach: Guiding the Caregiver in Managing the Behavioral Symptoms of Dementia by Helen C. Kales, MD, Laura N. Gitlin, PhD, and Constantine G. Lyketsos, MD, MHS
• Learning To Speak Alzheimer’s by Joanne Koenig-Coste and Robert N. Butler, MD
• Reducing Stress-Related Behaviours in People with Dementia by Chris Bonner
• Understanding the Changing Brain: A Positive Approach to Dementia Care by Teepa Snow
• The Validation Breakthrough: Simple Techniques for Communicating with People with Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias by Naomi Feil, MSW and Vicki De Klerk-Rubin
• Validation Techniques for Dementia Care by Vicki De Klerk-Rubin
• What to Do Between the Tears… A Practical Guide to Dealing with a Dementia or Alzheimer’s Diagnosis in the Family by Tara Reed
• When Reasoning No Longer Works: A Practical Guide for Caregivers Dealing with Dementia & Alzheimer’s Care by Angel Smits
• When Waves Rise: Navigating Difficult Moments Associated with Dementia by Sarah Viola, OTR/L and Naomi Evans
• Why is Grandma Screaming? A Practical Guide to Improving Quality of Life in Long-Term Care by Barbara F. Speedling
• You Say Goodbye and We Say Hello: The Montessori Method for Positive Dementia Care by Tom and Karen Brenner and Frank Adam Brenner

Perspective/Approaches

• Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
• The Busy Caregiver’s Guide to Advanced Alzheimer’s Disease by Jennifer R. Stelter, PsyD with Rachael Wonderlin
• Chicken Noodle Soup for the Soul: Living with Alzheimer’s & Other Dementias by Amy Newmark and Angela Timashenka Geiger
• The Conscious Caregiver: A Mindful Approach to Caring for Your Loved One Without Losing Yourself by Linda Abbit
• Creative Care: A Revolutionary Approach to Dementia and Elder Care by Anne Basting
• Dignity for Deeply Forgetful People: How Caregivers Can Meet the Challenges of Alzheimer’s Disease by Stephen G. Post and Jade C. Angelica
• The Enduring Self in People with Alzheimer’s by Sam Fazio, PhD and Stephen Post
• Journey Through the Infinite Mind: The Science and Spirituality of Dementia by Katya De Luisa
• The Spectrum of Hope: An Optimistic & New Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias by Gayatri Devi, MD
• Ten Thousand Joys & Ten Thousand Sorrows: A Couple’s Journey Through Alzheimer’s by Olivia Ames Hoblitzelle

Engagement/Connecting/Activities

• Art Therapy with Older Adults: Connected & Empowered by Erin Partridge
• Creating Moments of Joy for the Person With Alzheimer’s or Dementia by Jolene Brackey
• Creative Engagement: A Handbook of Activities for People with Dementia by Rachael Wonderlin with Geri M. Lotze, PhD
• Dementia Activities: How to Plan Engaging Activities for a Person With Dementia by Teri Halstead, RN, MSN
• Forgetting Memory: Creating Better Lives for People with Dementia by Anne Davis Basting
• Keeping Busy: A Handbook of Activities for Persons with Dementia by James R. Dowling
• The Montessori Alzheimer’s Project: Bringing Montessori Insights to Dementia Care by Lyle Weinstein and Greg MacDonald
• The Montessori Method for Connecting to People with Dementia by Tom Brenner and Karen Brenner
• Montessori Works for Dementia: Everyday Activities for People Living with Dementia by Stephen and Bernadette Phillips, BA, MA

Lived Experience

• Dementia Reimagined: Building a Life of Joy and Dignity from Beginning to End by Tia Powell, MD
• Floating in the Deep End: How Caregivers Can See Beyond Dementia by Patti Davis
• My Two Elaines: Learning, Coping, and Surviving as an Alzheimer’s Caregiver by Martin J. Schreiber and Cathy Breitenbucher
• On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimer’s by Greg O’Brien and Lisa Genova
• Still Alice by Lisa Genova (fiction)
• A Tattoo on My Brain: A Neurologist’s Personal Battle Against Alzheimer’s by Dr. Daniel Gibbs with Teresa H. Barker
• What I Wish People Knew About Dementia, From Someone Who Knows by Wendy Mitchell

Ambiguous Loss/Grief

• After Caregiving Ends: A Guide to Beginning Again by Denise M. Brown
• Keeping Love Alive as Memories Fade: The 5 Love Languages and the Alzheimer’s Journey by Debbie Barr, MA, Edward G. Shaw, MD, and Gary Chapman, PhD
• Loving Someone Who Has Dementia by Pauline Boss, PhD
• Seven Choices: Finding Daylight After Loss Shatters Your World by Elizabeth Harper Neeld, PhD

Concerned that your person might have an adverse reaction to seeing one of these books around? Here are a couple of suggestions:

• Opt for the e-book or audiobook format when possible.
• Consider removing or replacing the book cover.